


Thursday's Child

by Go_Fic_Yourself



Category: Generation X (Comic), Marvel, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Kid Fic, Pining, So bad at tags, Yes Paige Jono is great with kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 02:38:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13157490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Go_Fic_Yourself/pseuds/Go_Fic_Yourself
Summary: With the end of Gen X in sight I want to explore two things:1. How good Jono is with ShogoAnd2. How far Jono has come since the original Gen X.





	1. Chapter 1

"You really don't mind?" She shifted Shogo on her hip, bouncing him lightly and smiling when he giggled, her eyes crinkling as she looked st her son. "I know he can be a handful," she sounded more than a little proud about that, "can't you, 'Go?"

Jono shook his head. \Careful with that look, Jubes. If he grows up anything like you, yer gonna have a fair bit o' trouble come thirteen.\ 

A light blush dusted her cheeks at that, but she decided to argue it anyway. "I wasn't that bad!"

\Sure you weren't.\ his tone and eyebrows were in perfect agreement that he didn't in fact believe that. He held his hands out for Shogo. \Give 'im up, Luv. Y'need a day.\

She bit her lip, ever mindful of her fangs. "Are you sure? Dani an' Paige can go without me..." she looked between him, Shogo and the door, clearly torn. 

Jono scooped Shogo out of her arms. \Go. Have yer girls day. Shogo an' I're gonna go to the park. Kiss your mum g'bye.\ Shogo didn't pay him any mind, too busy wrapping his little fists in Jono's scarf and tugging. 

Jubilee chuckled at the scene, shaking her head. She came in close to kiss Shogo's cheeks and forehead. "Be good for Jono. And you" she pointed at Jono, "No, using my kid to pick up chicks at the park." That earned her an eye roll.

\Wouldn't dream of it, luv. Now shoo.\ he waved her off. \We've got important, manly stuff ta be gettin' to.\

She stuck out her tongue at Jono and ruffled Shogo's mop of already messy hair. "Be good for Jono, ok Shogo?" She took the answering babble as a 'yes' and looked up at Jono, a strange expression on her face. "Thank you again, I'll be back before his bedtime, promise." A little hop onto her tiptoes and she was pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Really, thanks."

Jono barely blinked at the kiss, far too used to Jubilee playing fast and loose with physical affection and far too practiced at reminding himself she didn't mean anything by it. Still, he couldn't think of much to say until she was out the door, leaving Shogo and himself to their own devices. \Right, you.\ he leveled the toddler with a mock serious stare. \You an I're gonna have a good day, an' I don't want any funny business from you. No tantrums, no getting hurt or sick, no getting lost. Got it?\ 

Shogo gave another little tug on Jono's scarf and an enthusiastic. "BUH!" 

\Good. Now here's what we're going to do. We're goin'ta go to the park, we're going to play, I'm thinking maybe some swings, some sandbox, 's up to you. Then we'll have lunch. Well, you'll have lunch. Expect I'll end up wearing some of of it. Then nap time.\

Shogo's expression changed. "Brrrr." 

\Don' start that with me, lad.\ he scolded and cocked an eyebrow when Shogo shook his head in protest. Jono didn't bother arguing, knowing this was a battle not worth fighting now. \After nap we'll read or play some more, maybe watch a film, then dinner and-\ he gestured dramatically with one finger, \if, and only if, you're good, we'll get y'some ice cream b'fore yer mum gets home. Alright?\ he didn't mention that he was angling to give him a bath before Jubes got home, knowing that would start something he was nowhere near ready for.

Shogo replied with a long string of babble.

\Glad you approve. Ready to get on with it?\ Jono slung the baby bag over his shoulder, but waited until Shogo pointed out the window in the vague-ish direction of the park before moving. \Forward, march!\ he walked at a pace that sent Shogo bouncing and giggling, one tiny fist beating in time on Jono's shoulder. \Good sense of rhythm.\ he encouraged, eyes smiling as they made their way down the stairs, \One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four.\

"Bum bum bum bum!" 

Jono shook his head, a sort of laugh in his psychic voice. \Very good, now, double time?\

They passed several of his students on the way off the school grounds, a few teachers and even Lin, Trevor standing awkwardly by as usual. Shogo pointed and waved at them. "AYE." He pointed at his own eye, nearly poking himself.

\Watch it. I said no getting hurt. Pretty sure that includes keeping yer eyeballs where they started.\ Shogo took the opportunity to reach for Jono's eye next, but he dodged it. \Careful. You've got little razor blades at the ends of those pudgy things. Seriously, Penance would be sick with envy.\ the thought of her distracted him for a moment, brought up thoughts from the old days that he didn't like to dwell on. He should contact her. They'd all drifted pretty much apart after they left Massachusetts. All but him and Jubes anyway. They'd been apart about a year before both of them were at Xavier's, then Utopia, the decimation, new warriors and well...these days he wasn't sure he could remember what it felt like to not have her at his side. That only made things more complicated he supposed. The longer he spent around her the less time he spent looking for someone. Jubilee accused him of giving up and in a way he had. Not despairing of ever finding someone who could see past the lack of mouth, like she thought, but of ever finding someone he'd love as much as her. 

He nuzzled lightly against Shogo's temple, an apology for his distraction and a reminder of how much he stood to lose if he spent too long entertaining thoughts like those. He adjusted his pace and started walking out a new beat for Shogo to copy. The continued the game until they came to the playground where Jono set him down and let him take the lead. As Shojo toddled around he continued to chant out the beat they'd been doing a moment before, hitting the air with a balled up fist. \Y've really got that one down. How bad d'you think yer mum would hurt me if I got y'a drum set for your birthday?\ Shogo replied with another string of babble, looking very stern and intense, or as much as a two year old can manage to be either of those things. \Right, Ringo. I'll make sure it's a good one. And some day, when your fine motor skills come in, I'll get you a guitar.\

Shogo plopped himself down in the middle of the sandbox and started digging very intently. \Guess I'll just sit here then.\ he said and was promptly ignored in favor of more digging. He ruffled the boy's hair before turning his attention to his phone to answer some e-mails while Shogo continued to dig. That didn't last long though, as a moment later a spray of sand landed on his phone and lap, followed by a high pitch giggle and Shogo running off as fast as his little feet could carry him and as steady as the sand would allow. Jono was up and after him in a second, \Oy! I'm going to get you for that, Shogo!\ 

The boy clambored out of the sand box and screeched in delight as he ran towards the slide. Jono hammed up chasing him, stomping his feet and making sure he didn't catch up until they were at the slide. He scooped the boy up, growling about how he'd gotten him and avoided Shogo's cheerfully flailing limbs as he set him on the slide and guided him down. 

\Again?\ he asked, already knowing the answer. 

"GIN! GIN!" 

\No'till you're twenty-one.\ he teased, but put Shogo back on the top of the slide, one hand on his belly the whole way down to keep him from toppling over. 

It was an astonishingly long time before Shogo got bored of the repetition and started squirming the next time Jono picked him up. \Done then?\ he set the kid down and watched him wobble off towards the swings.

"Poosh?"

\Sure, 'Go. I can push you.\ 

Shogo did his level best to climb into the basket swing meant for the little ones, which was really just him hanging on with one hand and lifting a leg off the ground. "EHHHHHH." 

\Bit o' trouble there?\ he cocked an eyebrow at the boy's struggles. \Up you get.\ he picked Shogo up and turned him around, carefully threading the suddenly rigid toddler's limbs through the leg holes on the swing. \Settled? Right. Three...twooo...one...lift off!\ he let the swing go, sending it moving in a slow arch and settling in for the long haul. Shogo loved the swings. 

The way back to the school grounds were full of tears and reassurances. \I know. Y'want to keep playing. Y'were having fun an' now it's over and that's hard.\ he rubbed his hand up and down Shogo's back as he continued to cry into Jono's scarf, occasionally kicking whenever anger managed to overwhelm his grief. \It doesn't seem like it now, but you'll feel better in a bit. You've just got'a feel this first. Best way out is through and all that.\ he paced his steps so he was more rocking Shogo than bouncing. \What do you think for lunch? Chicken nuggets or peanut butter and jelly?\

In between the shuddering breaths and sniffles he managed. "Peeeb."

\Got it. Juice or milk?\ he asked Shogo about each part of lunch and by the time they were finished they were up the steps and into the main atrium. More importantly, Shogo was babbling happily. \And what happens after lunch.\

Shogo shook his head in displeasure but had to stop to yawn halfway through, so Jono figured nap time shouldn't be that hard today. 

By some miraculous turn of events lunch wasn't as messy as he'd anticipated and that meant that once Shogo was changed and down it didn't take long for Jono to clean up and sprawl out on the sofa for a nap of his own. It was becoming a habit, sleeping here. Though normally it was sitting up either at opposite ends with Jubilee or with her leaned against him, both of them exhausted from missions or their students nonsense or Shogo. Being able to stretch might be more comfortable, but all truth told, he liked the other ways better. He tugged a violently pink blanket off the back of the couch, more out of habit than from any real feeling of cold. It was soft and long enough for his lanky frame and he'd spent plenty of nights tucked in under it before (usually by Jubilee after patrolling for Monet). This time was different though. As he pulled the fabric over himself he caught the soft smell of Jubilee's perfume. He didn't know what it was, something light and floral with a hint of sweetness, not something he would have chosen, but something that had grown on him (unlike the cloying candy-sweet body sprays she'd sprayed clouds of when they were younger). He pushed the blanket off and sat up, scrubbing at his face with one hand. 

He went to check on Shogo, though it had only been about twenty minutes. The kid was out, one arm thrown over his stuffed bamf, the other stretched far above his head and his round belly moving up and down with his breath. Even though he knew it was rediculous, Jono could swear he saw something of Jubilee in the boy's face. It changed often, it could be the mischief of his smile or the stubborn wrinkle above his nose. It was hard to remind himself that these were mannerisms he most likely learned from her. Not that it mattered, Jubilee was Shogo's mother, end of story. Noticing these things...it would be so easy to explain away his love for Shogo as an extension of his love for her, unfortunately the truth was that he adored the kid. It terrified him sometimes. Now for instance, looking down at him Jono knew without a doubt that he would do anything to keep him safe. He'd been in some bad scraps before, hurt himself badly trying to keep people he cared about safe, sometimes the whole world, but nothing compared to the things he would do to protect this pudgy little thing. 

Carefully, he gathered Shogo back into his arms and gently rocked him for the rest of naptime. While Shogo was out and couldn't testify if he hadn't been, several staff and students reported a vague sense of someone singing coming from Jubilee's rooms that afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I will never get enough of Jono taking care of Shogo. Not ever.

Eventually Jono ended up napping too, slouched on the couch with Shogo curled on his chest (something he never would have considered a year ago, but the more Jubilee handed the child off to him without a concern, the more he had internalized it). When he woke it was only because he could feel the kid trying to stealthily crawl down him and onto the floor. 

\Where'd'ya think yer going, lil man?\ he leaned over and asked Shogo, who'd been in the middle of using one lanky leg as a fire pole. Jono scooped him up, eyes smiling. \Thwarted yer plan, 'av I?\ Shogo squirmed, trying to get out of his grip. \Ask nicely an' I'll put you down.\

The boy gave him an irritated look he had to have learned from Jubilee, but yielded, "Peeez?"

Jono's eyes crinkled even more.\Yeah, peeez. We'll make a gentleman out of you yet.\ It was a struggle to keep the laughter out of his voice but he managed it as he put the boy on the floor and waited for him to do something. \Well? Y'had all these big plans, wha'happened?\

Shogo lacked the coordination it would take to roll his eyes but seemed to convey the point anyway before toddling off in the direction of his room. Jono leaned forward on the couch to keep an eye on him but didn't follow; there wasn't much trouble the kid could get into there. A minute and some babble and banging sounds later Shogo poked his head out of the doorway. 

"Hap."

\Hm?\

"Hap!" He stomped one little foot in emphasis.

Jono shook his head and didn't acknowledge the stomp. This kid. \Help, what?\

"Hap J'no?" He tried for wide eyed adorableness.

\Help, Jono...?\ 

Shogo's tone went distraught. "PEEEEZ!" 

\Sure thing, 'Go.\ he ruffled the boy's unruly black hair on his way by and surveyed the localized mess he'd managed to create in the two seconds he'd been alone. \Not sure what exactly y'were goin' fer, but we're gonna hav'ta clean this up before yer mum gets home.\ Shogo didn't dignify that with a response but started handing Jono a selection of carefully selected toys that he took without question until his arms were full. \No more, Shogo.\

Shogo picked up two toys of his own and a picture book before heading out of the room and back to the sofa. He put his bamf and his Spider-Man on the couch and waited for Jono to do the same with Thomas and Friends, a baby doll, what appeared to be some kind of egg with eyes and the weird ball thing from the new Star Wars movie. \I thought Jubes hated those trains?\ he asked, not really expecting a response. 

"Sto-Ree." 

Jono only arched an eyebrow this time. The kid was stubborn, he had to give him that. 

"Sto-Ree peez." Shogo corrected. 

\Good lad. What are we reading, then? Dr. Seuss again?\ Shogo loved the rhymes that twisted and tripped most people's tongues, but Jono had no such problems as a tongue never came into play. \Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to great places! You're off and away!\ he dragged his finger along the pages as he went, letting Shogo follow the words, or pretend to anyway, he didn't really know what the kid really understood yet. \Oh no, he's lost! What do we do if we get lost, Shogo?/ 

Shogo put both hands over his own ears and shouted. "HAP! MAMA HAP! JOH-NOH HAP! WOGAN HAP! HAAAAAAAP!"

Jono clapped for him. \Good job calling for help.\ He leaned down to nuzzle an approximation of a kiss onto his head. \And if you ever get lost, yer mum an' I...\he startled himself with that for a moment, with how that sounded, how he wanted it to be. \An' everyone else will find you and bring you home. Ok, little bit? You've got a lot of stupidly powerful people at your back.\ another wave of feeling hit him and he gave Shogo a quick hug before returning to their book and ignoring the prickling in the corners of his eyes.

\The waiting place...for people just waiting. Waiting for a train to go, or a bus to come or a plane to go or the mail to come...\ He found himself wanting to warn Shogo against that place, but how do you tell a baby to take control of their life? To make things happen instead of waiting for them to happen to him? To make changes, not just wish for change. \That's probably a lesson for your mum to teach you. Seein' as I'm still learning it myself. She's got it though. Hel-Heck! She's teaching me.\ Shogo looked up at him with a kind of confused expectancy. \Yeah, yeah. I've got you.- or the rain to go or the phone to ring...\ he read on, his voice paced low and slow, leading up to the next part. \No! That's not for you! Somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying. You'll find the bright places where the boom bands are playing!\ he scooped the boy up, holding the book in one hand as he spun him around. \With banner flip-flapping, once more you'll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky! Ready because you're that kind of guy!\ Shogo shrieked and kicked in delight as Jono tossed him into the air, catching him easily and dropping them both back onto the couch to finish the rest. Another toss at the last lines of the book and Shogo was giggling like a madman. 

"ON WAAAAY!" 

\On your way is right. Now, what do you say we get some juice and go visit around the school for a bit?\ It wasn't Jono's preferred way to spend time, but Shogo was as much an extrovert as his mother and one of his favourite things to do was toddle around the school and check in with the various people around on a given day. 

"Wogan?" 

Jono had to keep from rolling his eyes. \If he's around.\ 

"Kit-teeee?" 

\Her too.\

"Rororo?" 

\Lord help us if no one's home.\ Shogo looked affronted at the very idea of his people not being there, but ignored it in favor of watching Jono get his sippy cup ready. \All set?\

"Set, go!" He said, toddling towards the door while Jono trailed behind.

\I see how it is. I'm just a glorified door opener and a pack mule for your juice.\ The look Shogo gave him only confirmed this. \Right. Shouldn't'a thought otherwise. Apologies, highness.\

"Go!"


End file.
